Gender Reveal Party Ignites Fire, Destroys More Than 45,000 Acres

Boy or girl? Either way, this Arizona couple sure wasn’t expecting a fire.

Newly released video from the U.S. Forest Service shows the moment a gender reveal party went horribly wrong when what should have revealed whether Border Patrol Agent Dennis Dickey and his wife, Rita, were having a boy or a girl actually ended in a fiery explosion.

It happened in April 2017, when the Tuscon couple invited friends and family to gather to watch them shoot a rifle at explosive powder in a target.

Moments after the target exploded in a magnificent blue cloud – revealing Rita was pregnant with a boy – the blaze spread, eventually reaching the Coronado National Forest and destroying over 45,000 acres of land, racking up more than $8 million in damages.

Dickey was off duty at the time and reported the fire right away. He told a judge that it was a complete accident, calling it the worst day of his life.

He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation in September and was sentenced to five years of probation in addition to paying $220,000 in restitution.